She's Got the Power
by English Rose2
Summary: Rising Star is after the newest power source in the system and the one person that seem to know all about it. Is Rising Star really a new threat or has it been one all along?
1. Midnight

She's got the Power  
  
I don't own any of the characters, they all belong to their respective Creators and companies. This not written for any monetary gain and Suing me might gain you a cookie, and I don't bake that well to boot.  
  
"Talking" 'thinking'  
  
Chapter 1 : Midnight  
  
Midnight, the time when good little boys and girls are tucked away in beds. Serena, however, is to be found in the locker room after her first training session in the quiet gym of the Peacecraft Academy. Because of the late hour and the isolation of the gym, Serena felt at ease while prepping for the empty communal shower. She neatly folded she training clothes and stashed them in her gym bag, hung her towel on one of the hooks by the empty communal shower and pumped some tunes while she stepped into the warm spray. As she soaked and lathered her hair, she started to hum along to the music, losing herself in the melody. On the other side of the building, five young men were chasing a hit man through the school. The idiot had bungled his mission concerning Relena Peacecreaft, when he had the misfortune to stumble on the kicked up carpet and swear gratuitously. The noise got Heero off his computer and Trowa away from his book to investigate the disturbance. The gunner had taken off down the hall with the two young men on his tail, and the other three close behind. The hunted man comes to a dead end. With the guys right on his tail and thoughts of survival on the mind, he pushed into the girl's washroom and locked the door behind him. It wouldn't stop his pursuers but it would buy him time. Silently he made his way to the door leading into the gym, surprised but aware that there was another person in the group of rooms with him. At the split in the halls before the dead end, Quatre and Wufei head through the double doors in to the gym itself, Duo stands in the dead end with his gun drawn and Heero and Trowa head into the Men's change room to secure it, making sure their prey could not escape into it. While his teammates were elsewhere, Duo pulled out his lock-pick kit and peered curiously at the lock. Due to her humming in and the water and soap suds in her ears, Serena remained oblivious to the commotion circling around her. With her back facing the entrance to the tiled communal shower, she didn't see the man hurrying through. The gunner peered out the change room door and noticed the other two boys opening the door. Backing back into the room, he heads to the shower where he had heard music. 'Time to scrounge up some hostages.'  
  
Serena had just finished rinsing her body of suds and was enjoying the water beat against her face when she felt a cold tug against her wrist and caught a solid fist to the jaw as she turned to face her attacker. She reeled back and before she knew it she had both hands cuffed behind her back and was facing the shower entrance with a cold metal barrel pressed into her lower abdomen, staring at five guys. "What the hell is going on? Is this some kind of joke? Hey!" she shouted stomping on his foot. "You're my hostage she be good and shut up." He said quietly then added in a whisper to her ear, " Then maybe I'll just kill you instead of fuck you blind then kill you." "Sadistic Perverted Bastard!" she muttered as he dug the gun further into her abdomen, rubbing into her hip and coped and other feel.  
  
"Hey Heero. Pop quiz. Bad Guy has a hostage, what do you do?" "Remove the hostage." "Duo are you crazy, giving him ideas like that?" whispered Quatre harshly, while trying to get Heero to lower his gun to the floor.  
  
"Would you stop with the groping already we've already established that you don't get any." Serena remarked as the gunner was marching out of the room. Suddenly she pulls to the left, effectively dislocating her shoulder, breaking his grasp. The gun goes off, plugging her in the lower abdomen. She grunts but continues with her rapid maneuver of launching herself off the wall, delivering a snap kick to the perverted man's head. Landing she elbows two spots on the back of his neck. He crumples to the cold wet floor. "Eechi creep." She muttered and proceeded to step through her arms, effectively bringing her cuffed hands to the front of her body. She fished around the gunner's pockets until she found the cuff keys. Undoing them, she let them fall and stretched. Wincing her hand drifted to the bullet hole. "God damn." She hurried past the boys towards the bench with her cloths on it and reached into her gym locker for the first aid kit she had recently placed there. "What are you doing onna? Your shot." " Yes I am and I'm going to go into shock soon, so before I do I'm gonna get dressed and tend this. You guys seem like nice guys, even if you have guns, but I don't want anyone to see you with a naked passed out female. They might think that you were all being dishonourable or something. Besides, naked raises questions and questions aren't good." Wufei nods and joins his partners. Serena continues towards her cloths and med kit.  
  
Heero looms over the prone gunman. " Who are you and who do you work for?" "Bit me. Gundam don't kill anymore, everybody knows that." "Are you willing to bet you life on that, sir?" Asked the cold yet stiffly polite Quatre, as he cocks his gun. Serena pops into the room wearing brief-like underoos and a lose undershirt. 'I know it's not a lot but I figure since they are gonna stripe me and stick me in one of those ugly hospital gowns, I can at least save them some work.' Her good arm was applying pressure to the abdomen wound. "Mr. Eechi Badguy." The man who had come to under Trowa's not too gentle hands shifted his eyes to her. "To update you on your current health, you are paralysed from the neck down. Your heart rate is slowing down. You have two minutes to spill before your heart stops. It will take 1.35 agonizing minutes for you brain to recognise that you are dead before it shuts down and your body starts to convulse. They will feel like your skin is being flayed from you bones. Then there is nothing and the event is all quite painful, I hear. So spill." She leans against the door, a little tired and starting to go into shock. "I'm here to kidnap princess Relena because she is rumoured to know about the newest energy source running around space, another princess or something." "Who do you work for?" "I can't tell you, they'll kill me." He whimpered "You are already dying so, talk." "Uh..huff, huff." his eyes widening with realization and cranes his neck to look at Serena. " Rising Star." "Purpose." Heero bites out. "I.I." and faintes.  
  
Wufei prods him with his gun. No response. He gives him a little kick. No response. "Is he dead?" He asked turning to Serena. "Nah, he's just comatose for about two hours." "But what about all those things you said?" "I was yanking his chain. I hit a sleep point, not a kill point." She stated as she slowly slide to the ground leaning against the doorframe. " You guys wouldn't happen to know a doc named Sally would you?" "Maybe why?" "'Cause I can't hold any more." And slumps to the floor succumbing to shock. 


	2. Dream a Little Dream

Standard disclaimer: if you must read it refer to chapter one. I don't know any authers that have disclaimers infront of every chapter. Of course I don't know any book published authors but that is besides the point.  
  
Chapter 2: Once upon a dream.  
  
Heero reholstered his gun and moved to pick up Serena's prone form. Trowa was helping Wufei with the gunner, whilst Quatre gathered some of the girl's things that never made it into her gym bag. The whole party, with Relena in tow, headed to the Preventors headquarters in Quatre's van. Upon arrival, Serena was rushed to the med labs and the gunner was locked up for questioning.  
  
In Serena's dream, she walked on water, out to meet Pluto.  
  
"Here's the file. I apologize that I didn't give it to you earlier, but that young purple haired man was bopping around the Time Stream again in his blasted machine. Doesn't he realize that for every dimension, there are thousands of realities that are created by different choices that people make everyday and I have to monitor all of them?" she mumbled rubbing her forehead between her index and thumb.  
  
"Puu,." Serena said gently as she rested her hand on Pluto's forearm, " If you want, I can give you a holiday for a week."  
  
"No. It's okay. You have enough on your plate with being a plaything for The Three. (that would be Fate, Destiny and Chance by the way)  
  
"Keep the offer in mind, it will always be open."  
  
"Thanks Hime."  
  
"So since I'm gonna wake up sooner than later."  
  
"I'll get on with telling you what you want to know. Saturn is fine and will follow you soon. There were a few rogue boomers to take care of after you left. The girls are fine. They are handling immortality, and as much as a normal life as that entails, quite well. They are living their dreams several times over in fact. As to you personal effects and pertinent assets, it is all in the file. To recap the important information, though, the keys and address to your loft are in the file. Your bike is parked with your Volvo convertible in the warehouse below. Your hardsuit is stored in a modified walking closet. The room is equipped and stocked as a secondary mission prep room, the original being at the loft. Your closet prep room comes with an automatic door to the outside."  
  
~But my room is on the top floor!~  
  
" It is located behind your book case. This is the part that I am really quite proud of. On the shelf are figurines of all the scouts. You open the room by pulling the pigtails on Sailor Moon."  
  
Serena humph  
  
"There is more but it is all explained in the file."  
  
"Thanks Pluto, but two things." Asks Serena as she peruses the file and stops at this one sheet. " Don't you think that Serenity Usagi Serene Moon Bunny Cosmos Tsukino the 3rd is a little much? And don't call me Hime."  
  
"Of course not. Hime." Setsuna replied grinning. Serena smiled and returned to the mists.  
"mmmm. some'un turn of de sunnn..." she moaned, covering her eyes with her hand. Cracking a lid Serena noticed that there were tubes coming from her hand. (blink, blink) Levering herself up, she noticed that she was wired to several machines while gritting her teeth.  
  
~That would be my arm. ~  
  
After checking what remained of the entrance and exit wounds and was satisfied that they were adequately healed, she pulled the wires and tubes from her body  
  
~Damn healing will close gun holes and stop internal bleed and reconstruct organs but can't reattach ligaments. Ah give it another sleep. ~  
  
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up she noticed a draft. ~Stupid ugly hospital gowns.~ she grumbled. Stripping off the horrid gown, she pulled a pair of loose silk black pants and a white silk mandarin collared tank from her subspace pocket. Shrugging into them, she reached into her pocket again and pulled out a pair of thin-soled black flats. Standing by the window, she ran a hand through her hair waiting for someone to burst through the door any minute to revive her from a flat-line.  
Sally was reclined in her chair, pleasantly dozing when Quatre started patting her cheeks. "Miss Sally. Miss Sally?.."  
  
"Huh? .., oh. I'm up.I'm. what's that beeping?" She demanded as she swiveled her head around the room. Spotting the heart monitor for the new patient, she exploded out of her chair and flew down the hall, nearly bowling Wufei over in the process, who could be heard muttering about thoughtless onnas.  
  
Various heads where popping out of the offices to the vehement rant of "shitshitshitshitshit." that could be heard from the usually calm Sally. Upon entrance to the room, she made a bee-line to the electric paddles in hopes of reviving her patient.  
  
"Um, Doctor? Those really aren't necessary."  
  
Sally looked towards the gentle voice and saw her patient. "What are you doing out of bed?" she asked angrily and did a retake "And why aren't you dead?"  
  
"Sorry, I'm not hooked up to the monitors so it reads as a flat-line and figured I could get someone down here faster that way so I could get out of here. I'm not fond of being a patient in a hospital although it seems to be a regular occurrence." She grumbled. " By the way," smiling, she held out her hand, " I'm Serena Tsukino."  
  
Quatre and wufei were left in the whirlwind that was Sally. "What was that about?" "Something to do with the girl that we brought in." "What's up with the girl?" "Oh, hi guys, one of the boxes was beeping a long solid beep and running a flat-line." "Flat .line." Duo's eyes widened, "Quatre, that means her heart stopped." "It does? Ahhh! Where's her room?" And he dashed down the hall with the boys on his heels."  
  
"Oh your Serena, I got a file from Setsuna on you. I guess I'll have to destroy those blood samples that I took. Well anyways, I have some bad news and some good news for you. I've had some of your blood prepped to be sent out but that is just to help build a file on you. The good news," Sally said as she towards her office. "is you have a clean bill of health and I'm signing you out. The bad news is that you wont be able to bear children, ever."  
  
"What!?" , this coming from five startled pilots who had been running towards Serena's room. Sally looked to Serena, who merely shrugged and kept walking.  
  
"The bullet ripped into her uterus and out the other side, leaving the uterus unsuitable to carry a child."  
  
Serena frowned. "Well that bites, but life goes on." "Doesn't it bother you?" asked Duo "No, not right now. I mean, I'm only seventeen and I wasn't thinking about having kids any time soon. Besides the blonde seems to be bothered enough for all of us." She said quietly, jerking her thumb towards Quatre. Quatre was sobbing on Trowa's shoulder, leaving a little trail of wet shirt apparent. Serena sighed and fished through her pockets. She pulled out a hanky and handed it to Quatre.  
  
"Hey don't cry." She said as she gazed into his eyes ~ I see the desert and sandrocks in his eyes. A gentle sadness, desert prince.~ She blinked and looked at him again. "You need a hug." And began to pull him into a hug.  
  
Heero rushed forward and her away from Quatre, unfortunately on her hurt shoulder and pulled his gun. "Who are you and who do you work for?" he demanded in the deadly monotone that sent a shiver along Serena's spine. He clicked the safety off and Trowa and Wufei reached for their guns as well. Serena grunted from the sharp pain in her shoulder and looked at the boys with a slightly pained smile.  
  
"My name is Serenity Tsukino. Friends call me Sere. I don't work for anyone, actually I didn't think that we were allowed to have a job because of school." Looking around Heero, "Sally are they always like this?"  
  
"Yup, call it a character flaw if you must."  
  
"Heh, okay. So what are your names?" she asked turning back to the guys.  
  
"Quatre Rebarbra Winner, it's a pleasure."  
  
"Duo Maxwell, I may run and hide but I never tell a lie."  
  
"Wufei Chang", he spat out  
  
"."  
  
"Hn" 


	3. Settling In

Sorry it has been awhile. I own nothing and I'm writing solely for the purpose of cookies. um. entertainment (  
  
Review and let me know what you think. Thanx I'm open to suggestions as well.  
  
Chapter 3 : Settling In  
  
"Oh, I remember you. well at least Duo and. Trowa was it? You were lurking around Relena today when she introduced me to my homeroom teacher."  
  
"New student?"  
  
"Yup. Got in early this morning. I'm starting grade 11."  
  
"That cool. You're just a year below us. Maybe you'll have gym with us?'  
  
"Maybe. Sally what do I have to sign to get out of here?"  
  
"Sign here. here.and here," she indicated as she handed Serena the paperwork. "I'm sure the boys'll give you a lift home."  
  
"What gave you the idea that we would give the onna a lift to the Academy?" Wufei questioned. Sally pointed to the rest of the guys who were nodding their heads that 'Yeah' she could get a lift with them. Sally paged Une for Relena and they waited for her to join them before piling into the cars.  
  
Serena ended up sitting between Wufei and Duo in the backseat of the jeep. With the quiet and the warmth and her being awake for about 20hrs, Sere fell asleep on a surprised Wufei's shoulder.  
  
"Hey Serena?" Quatre called from shotgun, "what were you doing in the gym so late?"  
  
"Shh. She's sleeping'. Duo whispered.  
  
"The onna's hugging me." Quatre looked back and saw Serena snuggling right into Wufei with her arm sneaked around his hips.  
  
".teddy." Duo laughed quietly at the shocked look on Wufei's face. Trowa's lips twitched in an upward motion and Quatre turned around so as to hide his mirth, leaving Wufei to sputter in the back.  
  
Upon arrival, Serena woke up gently as the engine settled and looked up to Wufei and down to her arms, taking in her position. Quickly she disengaged herself, apologized, and scooted out Duo's side. She grabbed her bag from the bag with a brilliant flush to her alabaster cheeks and sprinted to her dorm room.  
  
"Wu-man's a teddy.ha ha.Wu-teddy."  
  
"Maxwell, it is Wu-FEI," he thundered.  
  
"Wu-man's a teddy bear."  
  
"Shine, You dishonourable braided-baka!" and the eternal chase of cat and mouse commenced once again.  
  
Relena bore witness to the flight of Duo and smiled.  
"What got Wufei going this time?"  
  
Serena arrived at her dorm room and fished for her keys. Opening the door, she immediately closed and locked once she was inside. ~How embarrassing.~ she grumbled as she dropped her bag by the kitchen. Rubbing her face tiredly, she started to shed clothes on her way to the bedroom and dropped to the bed. ~I'll shower in the morning. Right now I'm too tired to care. ~  
  
******  
  
Serena awoke to her alarm going off. Glancing at her alarm she realized that she only had fifteen minutes before classes started. Grabbing her shower gear from her gym bag and a clean towel from her trunk. Poking her head into the hall, she that it was all clear, and scurried to the communal bathroom. Mission: get in, get clean, get out. On the way out, wrapped only in her towel, she bumped into Heero, whose cheeks tinted a light pink as he instinctly caught her elbow to prevent her fall. Grunting a good morning he continued on to the sinks. Sere whipped back to her room, tugged on one of the uniforms hanging in the closet. After making herself presentable, she grabbed her books and a fruit bar and took off for class.  
  
Arriving just after the late bell, Serena was given detention and assigned to hold buckets of water in the hall. ~ It's nice to know that I am still me despite all that has happened.~ she grumbled to herself. Math, physics, chemistry and English never seemed to change. They were a constant at every school she attended no matter which reality or dimension she was in. The material of the classes changed and updated with the advancements in the fields, which always made school a learning experience. Serena was currently attending all grade eleven classes save for her math gym and physics courses, in which she was in grade twelve.  
  
A half an hour after school finished for the day found a very happy Serena unpacking and setting up her room, then the sitting room and the kitchen. Noticing a distinct lack of consumables besides the half eaten pizza she had ordered the day before, she went to the grocery store.  
  
Coming back into the building with her hands full of bags, she met Trowa. "Hi Trowa."  
  
He nods.  
  
"How was your day?"  
  
"Good."  
She handed him some of the bags as she unlocks the door to the building. "Have you guys eaten yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well," she continues as she leads her reluctant helper to her dorm, " I'm making supper right now so you are all invited if you like. I make a mean curry." She smiled at past curry memories.  
  
"We'll see," was all he replied as he deposited the paper bags on the counter."  
  
"I'm serving at 6:30 so just walk in." she stated as she started to hum as she put the groceries away.  
  
As 6:30 rolled around, it found Serena placing the final plate down for supper. As she was going to get the water pitcher, five boys trouped into her kitchen. "Glade you could make it. Thanks for bringing them Trowa." Trowa nodded is head in response and took the pitcher from her hands, to pour.  
  
As supper was finishing, Quatre asked the question that had gone unanswered the night before. "So Ms. Serena, what were you doing in the gym so late."  
  
"It's just Serena, Quatre, or Sere which ever you prefer and .."  
  
**BEEP.BEEP.BEEP**  
  
Heero grabbed his beeper read the message and gave the boys a look. They all got up and bid Serena a hasty farewell telling her that the supper was delicious and that they would have to do it again sometime. Serena smiled, said goodbye and started to clean the kitchen as the boys filled out of her dorm.  
  
When the door shut behind her departing visitors, swiftly moved over to it and secured it. Serena then scampered to the bookshelf, released the hidden switch and walked into her ready room. Flipping on her computer, she scanned the instructions that the two doctors had sent her and the mission details. Grinning she shucked her clothes and slide into her skintight spandex subsuit. It was all white with silver panels across her chest, her stomach and flowing down the insides of her led, with chevrons below her knees and across her shoulders. With her hair out of it's clips and pulled back at the nap of her neck, she grabbed the chin up bar and hoisted herself into a highly modified K-Hardsuit. The suit automatically closed itself around her once she was in and she settled her helmet on her head. The suit sealed itself to the helmet, completely protecting the occupant.  
  
Serena read the data that the suit scrolled across her faceplate. She felt the silver crystal pulse in her chest and knew that it had hooked itself into the suit's systems and begun to interface. Grinning she did a weapons check and hit the release panel for the room. She jumped out the door and the metallic wings engaged, shooting out of the suit and her thrusters went online, blasting her towards her mission.  
  
**COSMOS, YOUR MISSION IS TO PROTECT THE FIVE GUNDAM PILOTS AT ALL COSTS**  
  
**RODGER THAT, COSMOS OUT**  
  
Don't forget to review.bye now ( 


	4. Battle Engaged

I don't own anything and I write because I like to.  
  
Review Reviw and may the writing get better : P  
  
Chapter 4: Battle Engaged  
  
Previous: **COSMOS, YOUR MISSION IS TO PROTECT THE FIVE GUNDAM PILOTS AT ALL COSTS**  
  
**RODGER THAT, COSMOS OUT**  
  
~All costs includes my life~ sigh~ Then again, I'm like a bad penny. I always turn up. My life is cheap since I'm immortal. Doesn't make me feel any better about it though.~ she grumbled.  
  
Cosmos arrived at the scene of combat. Three of the gundams were surrounding the two kneeling, open gundams whose occupants clearly were no longer inside them, but in the facility completing their missions. Cosmos patched into the gundam's communication network and slipped into battle. Dancing out of sight of her protectees, she pulled a beam saber out of her subspace pocket and proceeded wield it with a great deal of vigor. She destroyed Leo right and left, leaving their pilots enough time to evacuate before their worlds blew to kingdom come.  
  
Cosmos kept an eye out for the returning pilots to make sure that they get back to the safety of their gundams as she slashed through a line of Leos.  
  
"Quatre, I keep seeing something out of the corner of my eye."  
  
"I do too. Keep an eye out for it, whatever it is." Two * RODGER THATs * came back and the chaos continued.  
  
Duo and Heero where sprinting out of the building towards their gundams. Heero was bleeding profusely from a shoulder wound where he had caught a ricochet and Duo a sore shin that he had gotten when he slipped from setting the explosives. They were being chased by Oz soldiers and knew that they had to sprint once they got to the open court. They were halfway there when Heero got nailed in the ankle by a sniper. Duo, alerted by the grunt turned around to help his buddy to his gundam but gulped as he realized that they would get captured at the rate they were going.  
  
Out of bullets and out of time, Duo found himself and his semiconscious partner half surrounded with weapons pointed at them, safeties off and fingers squeezing the triggers. Suddenly the air above them became shadowed. Duo and the men glanced up to see a black figure descend upon them. The guns fired and Duo cringed, protecting Heero with his body but was untouched. Looking up he saw the plated face of his saviour and his wings extended to shield both teens from the rain of bullets. Swiftly turning around, still shielding both boys. She fired the plasma cannons at their feet, kicking up dust. She then took Heero from Duo. "Run I've got him." Duo took off to his gundam as the strange mecha ran behind him with his partner. He watched as the mecha bound up to Wing gundam, placed and buckled Heero inside and placed its hands on Wings chest. The Pilots cockpit closed and Duo watched as Wings eyes light up he was unsure how that could be because hero was unconscious. Brushing it off until he was back at base he blasted off and blew the base.  
  
Radioing the other members of the team, he signaled mission accomplished but that Heero was gonna need some serious medical attention.  
  
"02..02.. Do you copy?"  
  
"02 here. What you need stranger?"  
  
"Right now I'm driving Wing, so if you would direct us to a secure location where you park him and medical attention for 01 ASAP, that would be optimal."  
  
Duo saw two flashes of light.  
  
"And if you would be so kind as to tell 04 and 05 to back off that would be nice too."  
  
Duo turned Deathscythe around as he opened com with the others.  
  
"Don't shoot, he's driving Wing." Wufei's eye twitched as he watched the small mecha cling to the much larger hand of wing. Actually it appeared that wing's hand was secured around the body of the strange mecha with the mecha's wings, shoulders, arms and head protruding only.  
  
"Rodger that." Wufei then opened a link with Quatre and Trowa.  
  
"Do you think that that mecha is what we kept seeing at the base?"  
  
"It very well may be."  
  
"But what is it?"  
  
"I think it is human inside." Piped up Duo, "It is to unregulated to be a robot."  
  
"Let's find out and take Heero in ourselves." Quatre stated. " I don't want an unknown to find out our base of operations." The others nodded at his suggestion and surrounded the gundam and mecha.  
  
"We will take him from here."  
  
"Very well. Are you supporting Wing?"  
  
Cosmos watched as Sandrock and Deathscythe moved into position.  
  
"Hey wing you can let me go now."  
  
"......."  
  
"Very funny, I think that you just cracked a rib."  
  
Wing released the mecha suddenly, who swore and had to flap its wings and flare it's thrusters to stabilize. It came back up to wings chest level and gave him a kick.  
  
"Jerk, watch it or I'll rewire you."  
  
The other pilots swore they saw Wings eyes flare when a voice brought them out of their thoughts.  
  
"Wing has 01 on lifesupport and I hooked him into a transfusion and some medications while I was in there."  
  
"I didn't know that wing had those capabilities."  
  
"There are a few things that you gentlemen don't know about your gundams. Take care."  
  
Cosmos started to leave the area when a giant hand snatched her out of the air.  
  
"Itai! Watch it 05, I was serious when I said that Wing squeezed too hard."  
  
Wufai opened the hand and the mecha flipped its wings then settled them against it's back.  
  
"I'm not going to be allowed to leave until I answer some questions am I?"  
  
"That is correct."  
  
"Alright, shoot 03, but make it snappy. 01 should be ready for his next bag of blood and another doctor soon."  
  
"Are you human?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What type of mecha is that?"  
  
"It's a unique body armour. I designed, built, and modified it with the help of one of my old teammates and some old men that you know."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Lieutenant Colonel Webb. Call me Lt. Code name Cosmos."  
  
"Whom do you work for?"  
  
"Mutual acquaintances that happen to be old and cranky."  
  
"Your suit has.."  
  
"Are you female?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"An ONNA?!!?"  
  
"Last time I checked 05."  
  
Snorts came from the other three suits.  
  
"It's been a slice gentlemen. Take care of 01 and watch your backs."  
  
With that she spread her wings and flew away.  
  
"Like an angel."  
  
"What was that Trowa?" asked Duo  
  
"......"  
  
"Right. Let's get Heero home before he wakes up and decides to kill something."  
  
Review and opinions, thanxs 


	5. Digging a Little Deeper

Don't own anything and I write because I like to.  
  
Review Review and may the writing get better : P  
  
"Guys .Guys. A moment to reflect." borrowed from TNMT II therefore not mine.  
I see you frowning and I am ignoring you.: )  
A big thanks to Allure, angel 313 and oracale for the feedback and letting me know that this isn't a bad fic. It is my first one after and I felt a little insecure but now I'm happier. Thanks.  
  
Chapter 5: Digging a Little Deeper  
  
Previously..  
  
"It's been a slice gentlemen. Take care of 01 and watch your backs."  
  
With that she spread her wings and flew away.  
  
"Like an angel."  
  
"What was that Trowa?" asked Duo  
  
"......"  
  
"Right. Let's get Heero home before he wakes up and decides to kill something."  
  
******************  
  
Serena swung into her mini "Bat-Cave" and removed her helmet. The k- hardsuit released and she pulled herself out by the chin-up, grunting from her sore ribs. After a bit of maintenance and TLCing her suit and accessories, she left the small sanctuary. Popping through the shower, she then threw on some jammies and dropped into bed for the four remaining hours before her alarm went off.  
  
The gundams landed in Q's subterranean hanger and parked. The boys jumped out of their respective gundams and rushed to Wing. They released Heero's door and swung into the giant mecha. Unbuckling him, they removed the empty blood and medication bags dropping them down to the ground below. Hoisting him out of Wing, Trowa lowered hero to Duo and Wufei who then made a beeline for the med room that Quatre was preparing.  
  
"Bet he is gonna sulk when he realizes that he passed out."  
  
"Then better not tell him that he was saved by an onna."  
  
Trowa bent down to pick up the empty medical bags and read the labels. Frowning he strode towards the med room and presented to one of the two magnacs who were attending to Heero. The man who had just finished removing his latex gloves and washing his hands, took the packages and looked them over with an appraising eye. Trowa remembered that these two were of the select group that had secondary training in the medical field.  
"Where did you get these?" the man asked, one eyebrow raised.  
  
"Heero was hooked up to them for the trip home. Why?"  
  
"I know it was not of you gentlemen, which worries me in a way, but the man who tended to Heero really knew his stuff. Because of these little bags, Heero will be back on his feet in less than a week and cleared for missions in less than two.  
  
The next few weeks were uneventful when viewed in perspective. A couple of solo missions keep her busy as well as her continuation of playing the Guardian angel to the five-gundam pilots. Best of all, though, was the fact that Serena was finally settled in enough to have a few acquaintances, a few friends.  
  
"Hey Duo, what are you doing in the library?"  
Duo scratched the back of his head and sighed heavily. Trowa's head popped out from the stacks and filled her in.  
"He's doing his fair share of research on our extra-credit history paper. Aren't you Duo?  
"Yes. Of course I am."  
"Do you need help?"  
"No , that's not." Trowa started.  
"Sure, com'mon babe."  
"Ack!" Serena gasped as Duo yanked her off her feet and over to the stacks.  
  
Duo plopped infront of a computer and Serena peered over his shoulder.  
"What are we looking for?"  
"A chick named Lt. Colonel Webb."  
"Webb?"  
"Webb."  
"Okay. what have you gotten so far?"  
"Not much. Just these printouts."  
Serena took them, sat down, put her feet up and removed her glasses. Nibbling on the earpiece of them, she quickly scanned through the pieces and circled a few words and sections on the papers. Looking to see if anyone was paying attention to her she reached into her subspace pocket and bought out her laptop. Settling it on her lap she booted up a search engine for the elusive Lt. Colonel Webb.  
  
Thirty minutes later, Serena handed Duo a list of all the sites that mentioned a colonel Webb as well as what she got on it. "She sound way-precolony Duo. Maybe you guys should be checking the stacks for History, not current events. What's funny is that there are gaps between mentions. There is a Colonel Webb related to the old Royal British line of Hellsings but that was a male. There was a Dr. Lt.Colonel Webb that was the objective of an extraction mission during the bush wars of Africa. The notes on the side of the page bring up suspicions that she was black ops. Again thought that was back in the day. They still hadn't landed on Mars yet. "That's great Sere. Thank you so much." "No problem. Just a thought though, who got all the security files after the Data Crash of 3575?" "The GPD (Global Police Department)" Came the monotonous voice of Heero Yuy. "Yeah that had them but I think that they got ride of them when they moved building and this agency that starts with P and deals with peace took over them and acquiesced the documents for setting up past precedents or something. Starts with a P." she mused, finger daintily on her chin. "Preventors?" "That's the one."  
  
Trowa looked thoughtful and Heero turned back to his laptop checking some of the sites that Serena had pointed out.  
  
"Bye Duo," Serena called out as she picked up her laptop and glided out of the library. "Uh huh, bye." Duo called back, completely absorbed in the information that was being pulled up on Heero's laptop. "Guys," Trowa ambled over to join them around the laptop. Heero was scrolling through all the various sites that Serena had indicated would be good for research. "Run another security check on Ms. Tsukino Duo and Trowa run a discreet surveillance on her." "What? Why Heero? The Preventors already ran a security check on her when she was in med bay and was given the all clear." "Just do it." Heero bit out as he shut down his laptop. ~Serenity Tsukino is more than she appears to be.~  
  
~I shouldn't have down that. Way to go Sere, you're going to blow your cover. Yuy is going to hack into you for this and who knows what the other four will do. ~ Sighing, Serena made it to her room, dropped her stuff in her subspace pocket and went straight to her ready room. Grabbing a clean body suit she lifted herself into the hard suit, powered it up and jumped out the bay door.  
  
Fluttering the metallic wings, Cosmos landed on Relena's balcony. She gently knocked on the window. Relena's face peered out, nodded then disappeared. She returned in a few minutes wearing a form fitting body suit much like Serena's except it had the base colour of pale yellow and accented by a lovely shade of orange. Orange slipper like shoes completed the outfit. Cosmos handed her a cloak which she swung around her shoulders then went to the mecha who picked her up cradling her as it spread its wings and took off.  
  
A couple of minutes into the flight, Relena finally spoke up. " It's about time we both made time for this Hime."  
  
"Yes, it is Mina."  
  
Review and let me know what you think. or just let me know what you think. Thanxs  
English 


	6. Catching Up

Don't own anything and I write because I like to.  
  
Review Review and may the writing get better : P  
  
Chapter 6: Catching up  
  
Previously:  
  
A couple of minutes into the flight, Relena finally spoke up. " It's about time we both made time for this Hime."  
  
"Yes, it is Mina."  
  
*******************  
  
Cosmos landed and set Relena down.  
  
"You've changed you know."  
  
"I know and so have you Mina." Cosmos replied as she removed her helmet and sat on a log. "And it is not just the fact that you are decked out in pink, but that you made everyone else wear it too. Eughhhh!"  
  
"Misery loves company. You've changed you know."  
  
"I know," Serena started on a more serious note. "It is hard to do the things that I've been doing for as long as I've been doing them."  
  
"Yet you haven't lost that look in your eye. That sparkle that all of us saw in you."  
  
"Thanks Mina, sometimes you and that sparkle are all that keep me from giving up. Well that and the fact that if Ray found out, I would never hear the end of it." Mina giggled. "So what about you, fearless leader of the inner senshi? Chasing after 01 and advocating peace like no ones business from what I hear."  
  
"Girls change."  
  
"But friends stay the same," they chorused together.  
  
After Serena extracted herself from her suit, she raised her eyebrow in challenge. "So Relena," she drawled. "Are you ready to dance?"  
  
"As always." Mina replied as she caste off her cloak and pulled the Sword of Artemis from her subspace pocket. Serena reached into her pocket and grabbed her katana. Wrapping the sash around her waist and securing the sheath to it like she had done continuously over the eons. Easy in to ready stance, "Let's dance."  
  
************  
  
"You know Mina."  
  
"Sere, you really should keep calling me Relena."  
  
"Sorry. you know when you guys hide my locket to protect me from chaos?  
  
"Yeah, I remember."  
  
"I was so mad at you guys because you took me out of the fight, endangering yourselves. I never really thanked you for it. By the time I was over it, you guys were gone. Stardust. Even after my wish on the Gisinshou, I wasn't sure if it came true or not. Thank you for always protecting me Venus."  
  
"At first none of us were really sure why we followed you. You were klutzy, cried all the time and clingy. Amy kept sighing over you poor marks, Ray was always pissed at you and you couldn't cook for beans but we fallowed you anyway. You had earned our support and protection not just because you were then princess but because there was just something about you that made a person want to be a better person. You always came through for us and did it better than Amy estimated. Sometimes I wondered if the ditzy Serena was just a façade for the benefits of your family and friends, to fool the Negaverse. What I'm trying to say is that it was an honour to protect and die for you Hime."  
  
"Relena, you don't have to call me that anymore. I absolved you from your duties to me when I wished for your immortal rebirth." "It doesn't matter, you will always be my princess, my queen."  
  
The girls walked back to Serena's hardsuit. "You know Serena?" "What?"  
"That first night you were here and you got shot."  
"Yeah."  
"Here's a complete copy of the hitman's file. I highlighted the important stuff. And Sere?"  
"Uh Huh?"  
"Can you make me a hardsuit?"  
Serena raised a brow. "Peacecraft, Relena. PEACEcraft."  
  
Relena just stared back at Sere with a resolve face.  
  
Serena sighed. "I'll get my team on it. You really have changed you know."  
  
"I am Relena Peacecraft, Princess of the Sanq Kingdom, one time Queen of the World and current Vice Foreign Minister to the colonies. Change comes with the job. I however delight in regressing to my teenage boy stalking self to ensure that the opposition continues to underestimate me." Serena smiled at that revelation.  
"I hear that to stalk someone as effectively as you do that it helps to have feelings towards said prey."  
"That's true. Ah.. Serena!!!"  
  
"Sorry Relena couldn't pass it up. So you like Heero huh? Not just using him to mislead the enemies?"  
  
"Yes, if you must know."  
  
"Just making sure you knew. And if you need to get something off your chest from work, you know how to contact me, or hell just drop over. I know how it is. By the way, thanks for the files.  
Opening of the folder, Serena briefly perused it. "What do you know about Red Star? And the energy source, I take it that it is me?"  
"Red Star is an Upgraded version of OZ. It wants both Earth and the Colonies and not necessarily with all of the citizens inhabiting them."  
"What do they have that Oz didn't?"  
"They are using upgraded versions of the mobile suits. No mobile dolls, which is a relief. They are using something else as a type of unmanned drone. But my spies haven't been able to discover what they are, their fighting capabilities and other relevant stats."  
"Okay that's something at least. How do they plane to use me?"  
  
"Heero and the rest of the pilots are running that mission right now. We aren't even sure if they realize that the energy is in fact a human. Actually I think only Sally and I know that you are actually the source of energy.Serena?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you know what a boomer is?"  
  
"Where does it say that?" Serena demanded as Relena pointed to the excerpt.  
  
"Right here"  
  
Serena looked to where the finger was pointing then read the paragraph that the point was found it. "Shit. We are leaving right now." Snapping the file shut, she shoved the file into her pocket and scrambled into her suit.  
  
"Okay, why?"  
  
"The Boomers."  
  
Well? What do you think drop me a line : P English 


	7. Boomers, 1st Engagement

Don't own anything and I write because I like to.  
  
Review Review and may the writing get better : P  
  
Chapter 7: Boomers, 1st Engagement  
  
Previously:  
  
"Do you know what a boomer is?"  
  
"Where does it say that?" Serena demanded as Relena pointed to the excerpt.  
  
"Right here"  
  
Serena looked to where the finger was pointing then read the paragraph that the point was found it. "Shit. We are leaving right now." Snapping the file shut, she shoved the file into her pocket and scrambled into her suit.  
  
"Okay, why?"  
  
"The Boomers."  
  
***********  
  
Cosmos dropped Relena off at her balcony and teleported. Locking onto Wufei's energy, she came out above the battlefield. Cosmos watched over the gundams, as they seemed to be decimating the pitiful mechas defending the base and defending the three open gundams. Serena watched as men and guards scurried all over the yard. Cosmos watched as men and guards scurried all over the yard. Cosmos watched as they formed seemingly scattered chaos in the yard when they were actually running (tirelessly) in a very complicated pattern that could converge at any point along the path. "Boomers. Shit!"  
  
"03, 04, how soon are the other three expected out of the building?" "Hello, Lt." 03 responded, "They're on their way out now, reaching their Gundams in two minutes, bombs going off in two minutes and forty seconds." "Damn it! Start firing in on the civilians in their escape corridor." "What!?" "Just do it. They aren't civilians." With that she cut communications and dive-bombed the people running around in the courtyard. "Blades," She intoned. Two long blades beamed from the suit's elbows. Six heads rolled and sparked along the concrete, pseudo blood and ichors spurting from the necks. Cosmos fired a low-level plasma cannon pulse from her left palm blowing a the middles of three not-men out on the building walls.  
  
"Oh Dear! That was unexpected." 03 muttered as he attacked the not-men that came within reach of his shuttles. 04 response was to raise an eyebrow and open fire on any of the not-men that attacked Lt on from behind or on her blind sides.  
  
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~  
  
Heero dodged out of the lab, information in his vest pocket, to join Wufei and Duo who were waiting for him in the hall. Guarding the room while he broke through some of the toughest firewalls that he had yet to encounter. The information was worth it though. The Doctors really wanted this stuff; it being something about genetically modified battle personal, code name GENOME.  
  
They were running down the halls to the designated exit, it was a poorly guarded courtyard, large enough but fairly over grown, the employees used it more for smoke breaks and the like. Their gundams where just beyond it. Suddenly the PA system crackled to life. PROTOCOL 231ALFA. DESTROY KNIGHT SABER. PROTOCOL 231ALFA. DESTROY KNIGHT SABER. PROTOCOL.  
  
"What was that?" Duo asked as they ducked around a corner as guards sprinted by. "Hn" Duo rolled his eyes as he followed Heero and Wufei down the last hall. Breaking the lock on their exit and disabling the security wires, they opened the door, weapons drawn to face chaos.  
  
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~  
  
..231ALFA. DESTROY KNIGHT SABER.  
  
One by one, the remaining two score men in the courtyard stopped running simultaneously. Their collared shirts and gray work pants bulged and ripped, releasing coiled growths of muscles. The gigantic humanoids stood at twelve feet, looming over Cosmos. Their heads all swiveled over to the diminutive figure in their midst.  
  
"04, do you copy?" "Rodger." "Change mission parameters.ensure return of 01, 02 and 05, confirm capture of data and destruction of base." "The new parameters are acceptable, mission accepted." "But what about you?" worry tinged his voice. He had lost visual of Lt when the lummoxes sprung up like daisies. He took out on the .things with his shuttle but they were avoiding him, focusing on Lt." "If you feel like it 03, bring what ever is left of me to Relena-sama. You've got your mission and I've got mine. None of these bastards can escape be fore the blast." "Yes but." Lt watched as the boomers moved encircled her. She knew that they were running scans on her; ensure that she was their new target. She heard 04 open fire, clearing a path from the exit to the gundams. She wasn't concerned; the humanoids were focused on her and not the three men that would be hurdling out the door in mere seconds. "Cosmos out." The party was about to get started.  
  
Cosmos threw herself into the battle as the circle broke and the boomers lunged. That was what they were, boomers and God she hated them. Spring boarding from on of the boomers, she back flipped up and over a stream of machine gun fire, the bullets instead finding purchase in the bodies of her opponents. There were so many of them. Landing in a crouch, she crossed her arms to gather a quick bit of energy in her suit and then uncoiled them, launching plasma pulses at the boomers on either side of her.  
  
She heard the five gundums engage their engines and take off. Sighing and ducking under a razor tentacle-like appendage, she realized that she had less than forty seconds to destroy the boomers so that she could beat the blast. The elbow blade sliced through the back of another boomer. As Cosmos bounded away the two pieces slide apart with a plop. One managed to backhand her towards the wall. She was a bit dazed but curled her body into a ball, shifting her balance to kick off the wall, and launch herself right back into the fray. She snap kicked one of their heads, taking it right off as she reached out and crushed another one with her right hand. Dancing in and around them, she managed to destroy all twenty-four of the class D Boomers with only a few bruises. Class Ds were weak cannon fodder type boomers. The grunts if you will, they were incapable of working together and their armaments were minimum though the razor tentacles were new. She was fast, stronger and had more power than the Ds. It was the four Class A's that had trouped out the side doors to the courtyard, and prepping to engage, that were seriously disturbing her.  
  
Cosmos breathed a little as she realized that the Class A's had taken her on all four four corners. Before she could swear, the razor tentacles shot out of their wrists from all cardinal points. Cosmos dodged as many as she could shearing through some of them with her elbow blades but they just kept coming. "I hate Class A's, damn horny Dobermans."  
  
Their tentacle cables had caught her by one of her ankles and swiftly pulled her off balance. The other tentacles made short work grabbing and securing her other appendages. She swore as the pressure in her limbs increases as the boomers tried to pull her apart. Panting, she picked up a transmission that the boomers were receiving. She knew that she had precious few seconds before the building go boom.but wanted to hear the transmission.  
  
Do not destroy target, capture target and return target to base.  
  
~Crap that's a no go~ Cosmos increased her struggles, shunting a great deal of power into the suit to make sure she wasn't ripped apart and would stand up to the blast that gundams set. Her eyes began to glow until they were visible to the outsider through her faceplate. An iridescent shimmer hovered above the suit. The tentacles constricted around her chest and waist, the razors were cutting into her flesh at her wrists and across her chest. She grimaced and with a defiant yell, she released the gather energy. Around her the building blew up. Drawing out her suits wings, she took off straight up and out, hoping to hell she out flew the blast radius. Feeling the heat on her she hit the locator button on her suit as the blasts pulse hit her and propelling her unconscious form through the sky.  
  
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#  
  
The gundams had their communications open now that they were in flight. Heero ran a path-hack scan to get into Lt's visual and audio sending and receiving frequencies to find out what in the world she was doing. In less than four seconds after take off he had uplinked with her suit and had extend the audio and visuals to his teammates.  
  
"What are we waiting for Winner?' Wufei inquired as Heero was working on getting a signal. "Lt asked if we weren't pressed to return her to Relena-sama if we can find her after the detonation." "Why Relena?" asked Duo "Why is she staying for the detonation? Baka onna. That is the stupidest tactical idea I've ever heard." "It is her mission to make sure that those human tanks to not escape the detonation." "She made herself the target." Trowa quietly added. "Besides Wu-man it is dishonorable to leave a lady when she requests a retrieval." "Maxwell!!! Kisama!!!!!" "Quiet." Hero demanded as a signal was received.  
*.hate Class A's. Damn horny Dobermans.bloody hell..* Duo and Q winced as  
the saw and heard the backhand connect. It was disconcerting to see her  
crush one of their heads in her hand and punch through their chests. They  
became very well acquainted with the new humanoid enemy and some of the  
armaments of their strange ally. Her grunts and regulated breathing were  
really all their heard until the visuals turned upside down and then the  
swearing started. They could see that she was suspended upsided down as  
she swiveled her head to take in her situation. Then they heard the  
transmission that she picked up, another batch of swearing and a quite  
prayer that the gundams knew their explosives before the visuals blanked  
out in white light and her breath became more laboured. With a yell, the  
visuals returned and the watched as she gained a great deal of controlled  
height very quickly. *.respectable blast.nice range.locator on. * The  
visuals shut down and the audio crackled.  
  
Trowa beat Heero to zoning in on Lt's locator becon. which seemed to be moving at an incredibly fast click towards them. Just then an object came hurtling out of the sky and hit Wing's chest plates. The impacted jolted Heero who immediately inspected potential damage to his suit, as his peripheral visual units monitored the objects fall to earth. "Someone catch that!" Trowa yelled quickly. "Carefully" he added as an after thought. Shenlong jumped from the ground and cradled the fallen star in his massive hands. Opening his hands, as one would after catching an interesting tiny animal, revealed a battered, scorched and unresponsive Lt. No amount of gentle nudging from his mammoth finger would get her to wake. Cupping her in his hands again he blasted off to base and the Preventors med bay.  
  
Q put a call in for Relena to meet them at hanger beta-3 ASAP. "No problem Quatre, is there any reason?" "Do you know an Lt. "Lt? . I don't think." on the other end Relena's eyes widened. "Rodger that Quatre. Out" came the surprising monotonous reply from the usually bubbly blond princess. Quatre blinked a couple of times and decided to ask Heero and Trowa if they had noticed anything off about Relena lately once they had landed.  
  
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~  
  
Relena swore a blue streak, tearing off her pink suit, she hurriedly donned a pair of tight black leather pants, an orange lycra muscle shirt and a short black leather jacket. She grabbed her keys, her com. watch and her pen and shoved them into her space pocket. Running to Planchet, she told him that she was having a hankering for an ice cream and that she would be back later and no she didn't need and escort. PS don't wait up.  
  
Braiding and securing her hair under her helmet, she mounted her cycle, revved the engine and sped off towards the Preventors Beta-3 hanger. 


	8. We Need To Talk

Don't own anything and I write because I like to.  
  
Review Review and may the writing get better : P  
  
Chapter 8: We Need to Talk  
  
Previously:  
  
Relena swore a blue streak, tearing off her pink suit, she hurriedly donned a pair of tight black leather pants, an orange lycra muscle shirt and a short black leather jacket. She grabbed her keys, her com. watch and her pen and shoved them into her space pocket. Running to Planchet, she told him that she was having a hankering for an ice cream and that she would be back later and no she didn't need and escort. PS don't wait up.  
  
Braiding and securing her hair under her helmet, she mounted her cycle, revved the engine and sped off towards the Preventors Beta-3 hanger.  
  
... and now on with the story...  
  
#############  
  
The Gundams landed and Shenlong crouched down and lowered his hand to the ground. Lt was lying there like a broken rag doll. Just as the boys were descending from their suits, the echoing noise of a motorcycle thundered in the man made cavern.  
Trowa and Wufei moved in front of Shenlong's hand, all boys having their guns drawn and safeties off. Heero punched the control panel for the emergency gates and the blast doors started to close. The motorcycle revved and jumped through the closing doors. Heero let off a couple of shots at the bike. One of the bullets hit near the gas line. The rider had jumped the bike so that it shielded her from the men's attack. Landing, the rider immediately put up her arms and yelled, "I'm unarmed and am taking off my helmet." I love Heero but damn he too trigger happy! she mumbled. Fumbling the fastening for a second, she removed the protection to reveal long blond hair carefully braided, just a little shorter than Maxwell's.  
"An onna?"  
"Yes and you were expecting this one Chang. Heero, stop pointing your gun at me. Where is she?" Heero nodded at Wufei and Trowa, who moved aside, guns now trained on the downed female once more. Deciding that the boys were not moving fast enough for her liking she brushed passed them and onto Shenlong's hand. Crouching down over the prone form she ran her hands along the body suit. Moving her hand over the hard suit's chest plate, she smiled. Well at least you're alive you klutz, just scorched, short- circuited and knocked out. You are going to be so sore tomorrow and then your going to whine all day, and the day after that and the day after that and the day... sighing, she reached under the helmet, near the chin and pressed three buttons. A hiss was heard from the suit. Gently taking the helmet off the suit, she revealed the pilot's face to the hanger.  
Relena started to hum as she poked and prodded different areas of the hard suit, pressing release buttons. Lt's body arched as the torso section moved down, pushing the suit up. The arms slide sideways and the front folded down. Moving behind the unconscious pilot, she got a grip on her arms and drew her out of the hard suit. Picking her up princess style, Relena moved her hime to the room that Quatre had prepared.  
"Onna. How can you do that? You are not strong enough."  
"For her, wufei, I will always be strong enough. Now please move." Wufei moved to the side but Trowa stepped up. "Relena..."  
"Yes Trowa?"  
"We need to talk."  
"I know but not right now."  
"Later." She nodded and he moved out of her way.  
  
Relena carried Cosmos's prone form into the med bay that Quatre had prepped for her. Placing her on the examination table, she nodded to the gentle Arabian prince as he left the room to check over Sandrock. Quickly she moved to the door and discreetly closed and locked them. Heero and Wufei's head snapped up as they heard the door's lock click in place. Calling for the other pilots, they ran to observation window, trying to figure another way into the room.  
They watched in trepidation as Relena flicked her wrist and a knife appeared in it. Cursing stupid pacifist princesses who really aren't, Wufei started to attack the door. "What are you doing Wufei?" "Trying to get in their obviously Quatre, to prevent either of the trouble making onnas from attacking each other." He turned his attention back to the door. Duo had his face plastered against the windows to watch what was happening inside. Quatre who had moved up beside him flinched as he saw Relena run the blade across the palm of her hand then rub her the blood over her hands like it was liquid soap.  
  
Grunting a little at the small pain unblocked by any adrenalin, Relena rubbed the cut, getting both palms covered in blood. She waited until she saw some orange blood mix with the red. Touching Cosmos's forehead and breastbone she whispered "Venus Eternal Power!" Orange and white flared instantaneously.  
  
Heero pulled Wufei to the side and shot the locking mechanism. It held and all the other boys could hear Duo muttering. "What's she doing? What's she doing, what she doing? What's she..." Quatre was fishing around in his pocket and smiled as he proudly produced the key to the door. The other pilots sighed and shook their heads as Wufei snatched the key from his hand and strode to the door with his chest puffed out. Quatre's attention turned back to Duo when he heard the braided teen gasp.  
"What's happening? Duo?"  
"Relena's putting her bloody hands on the Chick's chest."  
"That's LT., Duo."  
"That's LT.?!" Wufei was trying to insert the key into the lock but was having some problems because hero had shot the mechanism and dented the keyhole. A bright orange and white light suddenly emitted from the window of the bay clinic. "Relena's down." Remarked Trowa as he peeked through the window. "We're in." Wufei grunted as he turned the key and pushed the door in with his shoulder. Heero moved immediately to Relena. Duo tossed him some disinfectant and gauze to clean the princess's hand. Once he had tended to her hand, he gently picked her up and moved her to a bed.  
Wufei and Trowa attended to Lt. They cleaned the blood off her face, noticing at the same time that she had regained some of her colour. The hole in her lower chest was no longer bleeding which was a good sign in their opinion. Quatre escorted Sally into the clinic. She took one look at the girls, clucked her tongue and shooed the pilots out of the room.  
  
Five hours later found the boys peeking back into the makeshift infirmary, Duo and Quatre at least. Though a bit disgruntled about being given the boot earlier the two men were hard pressed not laugh at the sight they beheld.  
Relena was in pink boxers with a matching tank top that declared her "Princess", spread eagle on the hide-a-bed, snoring with a little drool escaping the corner of her mouth. Lt was wearing the equivalent of the boxer section of her soft undersuit with the rest of her bare save for the mass of bandages wrapped around her chest, shoulders, upper arms and thighs. It appeared that Relena had stolen the covers and Lt was mumbling to a mina to give them back as her hand searched for them in futility. Quatre took pity on Lt. and covered her up with and extra blanket. She grunted something about dorky blonds and quieted down again. Taking the first watch over the sleeping girls, Quatre slide into a chair and bid Duo a good night.  
  
#######  
  
Sorry for not updating for a while. I've been working on some other stuff that is not quite ready for the net yet.  
  
Ta. English 


	9. Introspection

Don't own anything and I write because I like to.  
  
Review Review and may the writing get better : P  
  
Thank you very much for the reviews guys. It feels good to know that someone enjoys my story.  
  
##########  
  
Previously:  
  
It appeared that Relena had stolen the covers and Serena was mumbling to a Mina to give them back as her hand searched for them in futility. Quatre took pity on Serena and covered her up with and extra blanket. She grunted something about dorky blonds and quieted down again. Taking the first watch over the sleeping girls, Quatre slide into a chair and bid Duo a good night.  
  
And now on with the story!  
  
Chapter 9: Introspection  
  
Four hours later, Duo came down and took Quatre's place. "Anything happen?" "No not really, though it is kind of funny..." "Uh huh..." "It is just that Miss Relena keeps stealing Serena's blankets and I have to keep giving her a new one." Duo smiled. "Other than that?" "Nothing, I hope you brought something to do." Duo nodded and held up some comic books.  
  
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Serena groggily awoke and stared at the ceiling for a while. She hurt a great deal, kinda like she had just been run over by a tank. Slowly the events of her last jaunt in the waking world resurfaced from the depths of the abyss that was her mind and she groaned. I've just been blown up, it is no wonder I hurt in places I didn't even know that I had. Then her eyes widened at the realization that she had made a noise. Great! I am such an idiot. Now everyone knows that I'm awake! Cracking open an eye, again she was faced with a stark white ceiling. It dawned on her that she was covered in a blanket and that it was rapidly being stolen. Letting it go, she considered an reasoned that if her holders were considerate enough to cover her with a nice white blanket, they wouldn't shoot if she sat up.  
Doing so she looked over to where her missing blanket had disappeared. She smiled at Minako who was cuddled under what looked like six blankets. She never changes. She peered around the room again and took stock of her current situation. She was a mess that was trying to tidy itself. Her personal magic was at another low from holding her body together and healing it on the way back from the explosion to where ever she was. She sported multiple lacerations several broken ribs and a punctured lung that was healing slightly faster than a normal human. She breaths weren't shallow but deep and rapid breathing hurt like no ones business. Tossing the rest of the covers onto the lug she called a friend, she hissed at the bruises that decorated her person like gigantic purple, green and blue freckles. At least she was alive and that was what countered to her.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Duo and Wufei at the door. "Oh Serena, your awake." "Hi Duo." Wufei strode over to her and pulled her by the arm off the bed. She stumbled and fell into him, grunting in surprise and pain at the action. Taking in her state, Wufei took his cloth belt and tied her bandaged wrists together be fore scooping her up an exiting the room.  
Duo stood staring after his long time tormentor, trying to figure out why Wu-man had secured her wrists and carried her off. So what if Serena was LtCol. Webb, though she seemed awfully young to have that rank. However it meant that he didn't have to do any more research on her through the Preventer's archives like he had been for the last month. He could just grill her instead and make her feel guilty for making him do research when he could have used the time much more efficiently tormenting Wu-man with her. Yes that was the plan and it was a good one.  
He followed the Chinese pilot down the hall deep in contemplation. Heero was going to have a problem with this. Probably try to eliminate her once she had answered all his questions. He hadn't been to happy about needing to be rescued and even though his recovery for two bullets was so incredibly fast it almost bordered on scientifically impossible. If he believed in any spirit other than the God of Death he would have claimed it to be a miracle. The fact that his rescue and recover had been handled mainly by a bumbling bubbly blonde schoolgirl didn't help matters at all.  
He pondered the friendship that the two of them had. Was his friendship with Serena an act as well? Was he just a cover for her? Duo had made it very plain to himself that he didn't want or need her as a girlfriend after she had told him after a week of hints that he was very nice but she liked him a good friend. To the school she was a ditzy klutz but to the male populace she was also the most gorgeous creature on two legs when she managed to stand on them. She just bounced through the day with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. He would have never matched her in a million years with Lt.. The thought was just crazy. Who would trust important missions and the piloting of...of a very expensive suit to a girl who periodically tripped over her own to feet in the hall. So she was pretty good with computers. Everyone had to be good at something and their involved no lower body coordination so the rest of the students were safe.  
Duo watched as Wufei placed Serena on a chair in the middle of an empty white room, then left again, pulling him after him. "Maxwell, go get the others and that onna doctor. No need for her to bleed to death before we find out everything that we can from her." "Wu-man, you do realize that she has known who we are and what we do for the better part of three months, has taken no action against us and has saved our asses a fair number of times. There is no doubt in my mind that you me and Heero would have been diced yesterday if she hadn't been there. And she never once has interfered in our missions." Wufei sighed and rubbed his temples. "Just go get them, would you Maxwell? And it is Wufei." Knowing when to quit, Duo trotted off in search of his fellow pilots and Sally.  
  
Wufei turned his attention back to the most aggravating female he had met since his wife, Meron. She was nothing like she made people believe at school. She was exceptional at gymnastics but could seemingly not for the life of her apply that ability to the real world and walking down the halls. She was usually given detention for being late or sleeping in class or not having her homework done. He had been assigned to pass back tests a couple of times and she had scored perfectly on all of them. He had idlely wondered at the time if she had something to hide. After all it was practically a prerequisite to being a woman. Now he knew that she did and it was a doozy.  
She was an excellent fighter, his treacherous mind brought up. Perhaps when she is mended she would provide a suitable challenge. And Wufei wanted, as he was sure the others did as well, to pick over her hard- suit and her mind regarding its making. He wanted to know the schematics, the capabilities, weapon systems, and it's piloting abilities as well as how she interfaced with it on such small proportions.  
He continued to watch the silent bunny through the observation window of the room as she sat with her head bowed. On a closer look, it almost appeared to him as if she were sleeping. He leaned up against the wall and waited for the braided baka to return.  
  
Heero was checking on Relena when Dup found him. He didn't know why he was there. It was no longer his duty to protect her. She had set bodyguards form the Preventers who guarded her twenty-four...seven... That thought made him pause. How did Relena, perfect, pacifistic princess in pink, Banshee of the West and model damsel in distress manage to slip four of the best security guards that the Preventers could procure. He knew, he had checked them out himself before handing over her security to them. Then there was her arrival in the hanger: the bike, the jump, the cloths, and the attitude. It just didn't match the Relena Peacecraft that had been preaching for peace the last four years. And it was really Relena, he had had Sally confirm it with a blood test. Relena had eased off of him in the stalking department which was a relief...sort of. It is a blow to the ego that the female that had been faithfully harassing him for the last for four years had eased off, right about the time when Serena showed up at school actually.  
Heero leaned up against the doorframe in contemplation. Relena seemed to know Lt even before the boys knew her to be Serena. She knew how to open the suit and extract the pilot. Lt had requested that if her mission went to hell to bring back the leftovers to Relena. What else was she keeping from them? It wasn't like she was on a mission to need to keep secrets and to his knowledge, Relena was never been really good about keeping secrets in the first place, and now she was lying on a bed buried under about six or seven blankets looking as innocent as ever. Pink lips pursed cutely.... HE DID NOT JUST THINK THAT!!!!  
It was at this point that Duo bound over to him and announced that Wufei needed him to question Lt. and that the other guys were already there and that Sally was on her way. Happy to leave the surprising thoughts at the doorway, Heero followed Duo. 


End file.
